The Times of India             22.08.2013

Encroachments cleared on Madan Jhampa Road

VADODARA: A day after communal riots in MadanJhama Road, city police and Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) team cleared handcarts, counters, display boards and other encroachments in the area.

The drive was undertaken after a road accident emerged as the major reason for the rioting on Tuesday that left three policemen injured. A motorcyclist ran over a pedestrian's foot, sparking a row that snowballed into a communal riot.

The encroachment removal teams of the VMC cracked down in Dudhwala Mohalla and Madan Jhampa Road. While people gathered during the drive, no incident was reported. The road is prone to encroachments on pavements including those by cycle stores on the footpath. In the past too drives have been conducted to oust them, but they have only returned.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Dipankar Trivedi said that the drive was conducted in the area in wake of the incident on Tuesday to clear the space for traffic movement. "Some people had gathered during the drive, but there was no untoward incident," he said.

VMC's director (security) Mangesh Jaiswal said that due to the incident on Tuesday, most persons encroaching the roads were not found at the spot